


Hitteki Scrolls: Scroll 10: Roots of Rivalry

by jennymstead



Series: Hitteki Scrolls [10]
Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Battle, Confessions, Fights, Friendship, Gen, Konohagakure | Hidden Leaf Village, Rivalry, Training
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:21:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27334087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jennymstead/pseuds/jennymstead
Summary: Toshi and Kakashi battle it out for the east training grounds.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Hitteki Scrolls [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1976317
Kudos: 4
Collections: Kakashi





	Hitteki Scrolls: Scroll 10: Roots of Rivalry

**Author's Note:**

> Naruto (c) Masashi Kishimoto  
> Hitteki Scrolls (c) 2007/2020 Jenny M. Stead

Scroll 10:  
Roots of Rivalry

It was the day before the chunin selection exams. Konoha’s population of ninja was slightly higher than it had been during the attack one year ago. Normally the exams were being held every six months, yet due to the damage that was caused, Konoha was forced to forfeit the position of hosting the exam before. Yet, now they were back on track and had fixed the village to the point to where it was fairly suitable to host again. The merchant district was even more crammed with both citizens and candidates as a well known silver haired ninja tried to make his way through the village square.  
“Ugh," he rolled his eyes in annoyance as a rather tubby looking woman scuttled past his way, knocking the paperback novel from his grasp, “excuse you!”  
“Apologies, young man," the woman looked both apologetic and sharp. She didn’t like the tone in the man’s voice. The ninja snatched the book hastily as he started eye to eye with her.  
“Oh," he realized as his wide eyed stare met her sharp glare, “—I didn’t realize it was you, Madame.” The large woman gave a cluck of disappointment as she smirked in amusement.  
“I’d keep that attitude in check, young man. This is a busy time, and we all must adjust.” The ninja nodded in embarrassment.  
“I won’t let it happen again, Madame," he bowed politely attempting to escape the area. It was the leader of the fire country’s wife, and she looked charmed by him.

“Yo, Kakashi!" a voice was overheard from the crowd as Kakashi’s startled expression was met by a slightly shorter man waving at him to approach, “Kakashi! Over here!” The ninja shoved his way through the small groups of people congregating in the street as he flopped himself helplessly into a chair sitting next to the man. Kakashi stared up toward the sign. They were at the local sweets shop.  
“Didn’t expect to see you this early, Asuma," Kakashi grunted dusting the dirt from his novel.  
“Didn’t expect to see you dressed like that," Asuma joked sticking a cigarette in his mouth and lighting it, “what are you doing all the way in here in your training attire?”  
“I thought about taking a shortcut," Kakashi stared sardonically into the large mob making its way through, “looks like I was wrong.”  
“I’m surprised you’re not helping with the preparations," Asuma shrugged with a grin, “with all three of your students gone and busy on their own schedules, I would assume that you would have had loads of free time.”  
“Ironically," Kakashi waved his book at him, “no.”  
“Tell me that you haven’t been reading this whole time," Asuma looked sour at the novel. Kakashi realized what he was waving and returned a chuckle.  
“No," he put the book away, “I haven’t.”  
“Then what's been keeping you busy?” Asuma picked as his nails in frustration. Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck as he stared again toward the crowd. It was beginning to lighten up.  
“I’ve been training," Kakashi leaned back into the seat, “sort of made a deal with Toshi, and took on one of her pupils. It was no picnic.”  
“Oh," Asuma’s voice was sly as he tried to hold back a smile, “Toshi, eh?” Kakashi blinked slowly as his eyes moved to meet Asuma’s. The shorter ninja chuckled lightly as he coughed a little on the smoke.  
“Serves you right," Kakashi rose up from the table, “but if you don’t mind, I’ve got some Me time planned. I’ve been getting lazy, and need to recondition myself. Won’t be long and Naruto will be back.” He paused as he shot a questioning glare toward the man.

“Shouldn’t you be with Choji and Ino?” He questioned with a raised eyebrow, “I heard from Toshi that you were re-entering them in this year.”  
“Tried," Asuma looked displeased, “but they’ve agreed to take on the next exam. They’re good, grant you that, but I couldn’t find a third teammate to enter them in with. You know the rules. Anko was all for it, but Ibiki—“  
“Yeah, he can be a little harsh," Kakashi nodded, “keep in mind though, they’re the last two left in the same age group as Naruto to still be genin. Better get a move on, or Naruto will end up being Jonin before they are.”  
“Funny," Asuma wasn’t amused by the joke, “I wouldn’t talk. You’ve still got two genin on your squad too, remember?”  
“Yeah, yeah, yeah," Kakashi brushed off the comment, “but keep in mind, one of them is being trained right now by one of the legendary three, and the other is missing!” There wasn’t another word between the two friends as Kakashi finally made his exit. Asuma puffed vigorously on the cigarette as he watched the ninja make his exit.

*****

The East training grounds glowed brightly that morning with an essence of wanting to be used. Kakashi stared toward the small monument that overlooked the field. It was the same training grounds that both he and his old team of Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura fought on during one of their first meetings.  
“Sure brings back memories," he realized that it had seemed like forever since he used this training area. He visited it several times, usually once every day. Yet, the visits were more for the K.I.A ninja memorial that stood in the center. Many of his fallen comrades’ names were on the large stone. He enjoyed sitting here during his free time. Yet, today’s mission was different as he stared down toward the three large posts that bloomed out of the earth. Kakashi was about to emerge from the brush outlining the grounds when all at once he skid to a halt.

“TAKE THAT!” A kunoichi nearly a foot shorter than he leaped into the air as she shot twenty shuriken and kunai toward a few straw dummies poking out of the ground. Kakashi watched in interest as the array of weapons pelted against the figures with violent precision. With one last swoop of determination, the female ninja grasped a tanto that was sitting neatly on the ground charging toward the center figure. She made a piercing squeal swinging the blade in the air with precise accuracy. Kakashi cupped his mouth in childish-fright as he shut his eyes with a wince. The head of the figure soared in the air as it bounced on the ground, rolling to a stop in front of his hiding spot. The woman giggled maniacally as Kakashi opened his only visible eye to look at the decapitated straw head. It was covered in canvas, and had a few familiar kanjis printed on it to resemble a face. The scarecrow-like head sported an all too noticeable frock of straw peering out of it’s scull, and held a dark blue forehead protector, suspiciously covering it’s left eye. Kakashi swallowed in intimidation as he ducked down quickly. The small kunoichi strolled over toward the head as she picked it up by its straw wig.  
“At least I can say that I de-masked a form of Kakashi," she laughed toward the all too obvious pun. Kakashi groaned under his breath. His name meant scarecrow, and he hated it when people referenced him to one. It happened rarely, but it happened nonetheless.  
“If only I could un-mask the real thing though," she was still caring on the one sided conversation with the figure. Kakashi rolled his eyes in annoyance. Why did she have to be so smug about it, and why of all places did she choose to train here today?

“If you know what’s best for you, Copy Cat," she turned and shouted in his direction, “you’ll leave!” Kakashi groaned again. He felt like a fool. The kunoichi in front of him was quite possibly the only person in this village, besides the hokage herself, to be able to detect his presence.  
“Can’t pull the wool over your eyes, can I Toshi?” He emerged his head from the bush with a sarcastic tone in his voice. The woman grunted with the same sarcastic nature; giving him a forced grin in the process.  
“No, you can’t," she chortled, “but you can start by pulling the mask off instead.”  
“Fat chance," he walked passed her in annoyance plopping his backpack on the ground. Toshi observed his attire. They looked to be training clothes.  
“OH NO!” She shoved him slightly as he growled in her direction, “My training grounds! Find your own!”  
“I’m not leaving,” Kakashi protested ignoring her piercing scowl, “and I don’t appreciate you decapitating scarecrows that look suspiciously like me!” Toshi giggled toward the remark as he eyes met the sliced head of straw.  
“Scared, Copy Cat?" She egged, “I heard you yelp when I attacked it.” Kakashi grumbled while sorting out a few various weapons in the pack.  
“How many times do I have to remind you not to call me Copy Cat?" He scolded calmly stabbing a senbon into the ground in annoyance, “I’ve told you at least a thousand times.”  
“Sorry, Copy Cat," Toshi was itching for an argument, “didn’t realize that the name Copy Cat pissed you off so much. I guess I will have to keep my mouth in check, Copy Cat.” She stomped her foot with a smirk, “Gosh, darn it, I called you Copy Cat again, didn’t I Copy Cat? Oh, there I go again—Copy Cat!” Kakashi cracked his knuckles in frustration swallowing hard.  
“I can see that it’s going to be rather difficult reconditioning with you around," he dusted himself off while rising. Toshi was smirking with determination looking slyer than ever, “Let’s make a deal?” He muttered as Toshi folded her arms in response.

They stood for a moment in silence observing one another. Kakashi was wearing a sleeveless shirt and mask in their normal shinobi blue. Pants were matching, as was his opened toed shoes. Toshi snuffed in amusement. He reminded her of a stretched blueberry. Toshi was wearing the bottoms of her jonin uniform, her opened toed sandals, a mesh under net that cut off at her upper arms, and a white tank top over top of it. Her forehead protector was missing, unlike her rival’s, and her hair was tied in a ponytail with bind.

“So what’s the deal, Copy—," Toshi stopped her question watching Kakashi raise a threatening eyebrow. She chuckled. She too felt that the joke was a little over-used now.  
“You want to train here, and I want to train here," Kakashi crossed his arms as the wind rustled against them calmly, “and it’s clear that we both can’t concentrate with the constant arguing—mostly brought on by you.” He muttered the last part almost under his breath, yet Toshi still heard it. She shot him a warning glare as he cleared his throat to finish.  
“How bout we fight for the field?” Kakashi suggested, “If you win, I'll leave. If I win, you take off that smug expression and get lost.” Toshi growled in annoyance as she shot him a sour expression.  
“That’s not fair!” She argued, “I was here before you! I should at least get a little more than what you’re getting in on the bargain!” Kakashi thought about this reluctantly as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. He felt a small tremor vibrating under his feet. Kakashi ignored it. Toshi had a oneness with earth-based chakra that most ninja dreamed off. He guessed it was her anger careening toward him. Toshi had holes in the soles of her shoes for chakra absorption. She probably sent a little of her chakra into the ground to intimidate him.  
“Okay," he gave in lightly, watching her squirm in interest, “what did you have in mind?”  
“Are you dense?” She laughed, “What would you think I had in mind?”  
“No," Kakashi growled in return, “forget it.”  
“Then be on your way, Kakashi," she pointed toward the spot that he emerged from, “I was here first!”  
“I’m not leaving!” Kakashi declared, “And I’m not going to leave you alone until you do.”  
“Fine with me," Toshi smiled, “I have all day.” Kakashi groaned in frustration fighting the urge to yell.  
“What else did you have in mind?” He tried to reason the best he could, “What else do you want besides the grounds, or what I look like?” Toshi thought for a moment. She took a little longer than normal just to itch at her rival’s nerves.

“TODAY, Toshi!” Kakashi shouted.  
“Oh, all right," Toshi growled with her hands on her hips, “how about you find a way out of me going to the chunin festival with Ebisu.” She was blushing severely, mostly from frustration that she had even taken the agreement. She was desperate at the time to find a suitable instructor for her student, Yasachi. Allowing Ebisu to take her as a date was the only thing he would settle for. She couldn’t stand him, and Kakashi knew this all too well. There was a pause as Toshi narrowed her eyes toward the man. Kakashi's face was red and he was shaking in silence.  
“Stop laughing, Moron!” Toshi barked as Kakashi doubled over in laughter.  
“Y—You actually agreed to go on a date with—," he was pointing now. Toshi huffed fighting the urge to charge at him.  
“I said shut up!” She shouted. Realizing how far he was pressing his luck, Kakashi straightened himself, and cleared his throat. Toshi observed the color tone down in his face as he chuckled lightly.  
“Deal," he was grinning ear to ear while reaching out for her hand. She shook it reluctantly.

“So—," he continued calmly, “when can I expect the wedding invitation?” Toshi exploded in a fit of rage snatching a kunai from her holster and darting toward Kakashi. Kakashi’s eyes widened as she initiated their fight. He leaped away from the flying weapon while lifting his forehead protector, revealing his sharingan eye. The shinobi laughed out loud toward his joke as Toshi skid to a halt.

Kakashi raised a curious, yet intimidated eyebrow. There was a different presence in her stance than there was before. Kakashi straightened himself up again, as Toshi smiled brightly in his direction.  
“I was going to go easy on you, Hatake-kun,” the sweet tone in her voice was all too poisonous. The chill of it made his nerves shutter. The sadistic smile on her face sent him into a shockwave of wary.  
“Awe, for me?” Kakashi answered back sounding just as mockingly, “Too bad! Guess, I’m in a real pinch now?” Toshi laughed softly, the deranged tone still in her voice.  
“I’d put that eye away. You won’t be needing it!” Toshi declared melting down into a wet pile of mud. Kakashi’s eyes widened in shock.

“Idiot!” Kakashi snapped back to seriousness remembering the rumble from before, “I should have known! She was a mud clone the whole time!” He paused to clear his mind for a counter attack, “The tremor earlier! That means—!?” Yet, Kakashi didn’t have time to finish the thought. He stiffened his body with a wince to feel a kunai blade resting firmly on his neck. Slowly he turned his view to meet the young woman's. She was standing behind him. Her eyes glowed a bright yellow and red. She was right. It was useless to use the sharingan now. Her All Seeing Stone Dragon Eye would have just canceled out the jutsu technique.

“Too slow, Copy Cat," Toshi whispered softly in his ear as she reached out for the mask.

An icy shiver raced down the jonin’s spine as Toshi’s weapon pressed firmly against his throat. Feeling the tremor, Toshi gave a small maniacal giggle as she wiggled her fingers, inches away from his nose. Kakashi’s eyes darted around for an exit. He had to come up with something fast. Toshi was zoned in. No—she had already won. He could have punched himself for not taking her seriously before. This was quite possibly the first time in a long time that she had actually out witted him.  
“Now," Toshi cooed evilly, “what are you hiding from me?” Her fingers curled themselves under the fabric of his mask as she jerked the mask down.

POOF!!

“DAMN IT, KAKASHI!” Toshi screamed in rage slamming a rather heavy log on the ground, “WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GO!?” Instantly Toshi felt a small vibration under her feet as she sprang into the air; seconds away from being snatched by Kakashi’s hand emerging from the ground. Toshi landed, slightly losing her balance, on a tree limb overlooking the grounds. Her eyes still held the gleam of the dragon’s vision, as Kakashi stepped out of his hiding spot.  
“I’ll have to admit," he panted, catching his breath, “you had me for a minute, there.”  
“Save it," Toshi was fuming. She had given up her hopes too early in the fight. She thought. No—she knew that she had, had him moments earlier. He was just too quick, and her dragon's vision was canceled out by his confounded sharingan eye.  
“Face it," Kakashi grinned under his mask, “you can’t predict my moves, just like I can’t predict yours. Genjutsu also doesn’t have that much of an effect on either of us, especially not you. So I guess you can ditch your bag of tricks, Toshi, and get with the program. All we have left is Ninjutsu and Taijutsu now. You might as well hop your stubby body down here and get this over with.”  
“Don’t order me around," Toshi still held her perch on the limb, “after my genin become chunin, I’ll be higher ranking than you!”  
“So what?” Kakashi snapped back as Toshi’s appearance melted down again. He quickly spun around to block Toshi from back kicking him in the face. He darted below toward the ground to swipe her feet out from under her as her heel returned a slam to his face; practically smashing his forehead protector permanently into his scull.

Kakashi groaned out loud in pain as he held his nose. He examined it gingerly watching her vanish in thin air.  
“Good," he thought. It wasn’t broken. Kakashi quickly snatched a few shuriken from his side holster as he stood at attention. He wanted to kick himself for being so careless in their fight, today. Normally it was he who was hiding in the shadows. Yet, this was a different game all together. He wasn’t up against a run-of-the-mill rogue ninja like on every other mission. This was Toshi; a woman who he had been battling since they were twelve.  
“TOO SLOW AGAIN COPYCAT!” Toshi screamed angrily as she emerged out of no where swinging a kunai blade wildly. Kakashi fell backward as the knife grazed his mask. Toshi skid to a halt as she observed the damage. Kakashi looked down on his face. She has split the fabric down the bridge of his nose. It was almost visible.  
“Hmm—," Toshi giggled with a crazed smile, “all this time I was trying to snatch it off your face. I should have been trying to slice it instead!”  
“It won't be that easy,” Kakashi’s arms went into overdrive as Toshi tried to watch his fingers for any noticeable combinations of hand signs. Instantly Toshi spun around toward the small lake that stood by the three poles.  
“What the?”, Toshi watched as the water began to bubble.  
“Water-style!” Kakashi ended his incantation, “Water vortex jutsu!” Toshi’s eyes widened in terror as the pin wheeling hurricane shot toward her in prejudice. Toshi centered the chakra to her feet as she slammed her heel into the ground. A huge slab of earth emerged from the soil as Toshi centered her chakra to her arms. The vortex pelted against the rock as Toshi felt her body slide a little backward while holding her position behind the rocky wall. Kakashi grunted in frustration watching the woman evade the jutsu. Yet, she was occupied at the moment with his technique. The ninja grinned slightly making a few more hand signs.

Toshi struggled with the weight against her as the cold water flew over the stone barrier.  
“Focus," she urged herself as the ground beneath her suddenly began to quake.

“No," she thought out loud in panic as her stone dragon emerged from the ground in fury. The beast rose in the air careening out of the earth like an overgrown earthworm. Kakashi instantly came to a halt with his jutsu as the dragon roared in his direction.  
“NO!” Toshi raced toward the snake-like creature as it lunged toward Kakashi. She darted toward the ninja as Kakashi stood frozen. The creature was too fast, even for his sharingan. Before he could brace himself from the impact, Toshi tackled him to the ground. She bounced back up to face the creature. The kunoichi knelt down to one knee as she raised her palms in peace.  
“Contest," she panted, “it’s just a contest!” The beast grunted, still holding its dangerous stare at the copy ninja.  
“I can see that it remembers me?” Kakashi tried to snap himself back to seriousness. For all he knew, this could have been a plot to distract him. Yet, he gazed toward Toshi’s stricken expression. She wasn’t kidding around. Kakashi watched closely as the dragon waited patently for Toshi’s next orders. The two had been a team since she was very young. Kakashi’s last encounter with the spiritual creature was back when they were fifteen. His intentions back then were to kill her. Perhaps it sensed his presence and emerged to protect?

“Now," Toshi dusted herself off as she spun back toward the man, “where were we?” Kakashi gave an uneasy glance toward the stone dragon as its piercing red and yellow eyes gave warning toward his intentions. Kakashi’s objectives weren’t the same degree as they were in the past. He had no true goal of harming Toshi. He only needed the training grounds for the day, and fighting her was the only solution to gaining what he wanted.  
“You sure your little friend isn’t going to decapitate me?” He felt himself quiver.  
“No," Toshi was serious, “I promised a long time ago never to use it in battle unless I truly needed the help.”  
“Okay," Kakashi’s stare moved from the dragon’s eyes to the identical red and yellow eyes of Toshi’s. She was still holding the dragon’s all seeing jutsu. The female ninja gave a smirk as she pulled a kunai from her holster.  
“Intermissions over," she spat shooting it in his direction.

In a flash Kakashi dodged the weapon throwing a few shuriken her way. As though as they had predicted each other’s moves the weapons instantly transformed into identical replicas of one another.  
“Heh," Toshi was amused as she wiped the sweat from her brow, “the transformation mud clone technique. Are you sure that your sharingan can’t predict my next move?”  
“Positive," Kakashi returned the chuckle following the same gesture, “but I know you too damned well, Toshi.” The two ninja stared around toward one another as the clones stared back just as determined; Toshi only being outnumbered by two other Kakashis. She grunted in annoyance. She could barely handle one, let alone three.  
“Let’s get this over with," Toshi stomped the ground as her clone mirrored the technique. The three Kakashis sprang into the air as the ground attempted to engorge them within the earthquake below.  
“This is getting us nowhere, Toshi," the three Kakashis groaned in unison, “if you wanted to take me out you would have already done so!”  
“What about you?” Toshi snapped in sync with her clone, “You’re the one that wanted the field in the first place. Make your move already! I’ve got unlimited chakra, as you already know!” She pointed toward the stone dragon as the dragon lifted its head in impatience. Toshi and Kakashi could tell that it wanted in on the action as well.  
“Fine then," the three Kakashis flung several weapons toward both Toshis. The clone and the real kunoichi evaded the weaponry as Toshi wiped her brow again. It was late in the afternoon and the sun was warmer than it had been all day. She made a few hand signs as another six clones rose up from the dirt below. Kakashi and his two clones skid to a halt as the small army of ninja surrounded them. Toshi centered her strength as she concluded this would be her last attempt. If she didn’t win this round, she would leave for the day. Her workout was almost finished when Kakashi arrived anyway. Kakashi on the other hand was determined to disarm her. He glared toward her in determination. Maybe, just maybe, there could be a way to lower her defenses enough to suppress her? The dragon was ordered to stay out of the fight, so it was no longer a threat to him. He glanced toward his two clones. A stone confinement technique would do the trick. Just enough mud to shackle a wrist, or incase one of her hands to prevent her from making any seals.

The silence on the battlefield was broken as Toshi pointed toward the man with a smile.  
“Don’t hold back," she called to her clones, “tackle him to the ground! The real one is on the left.” The riot of clones followed Toshi’s orders as they sprang toward the few Kakashis. Kakashi held his stance as he leaped into the air. Toshi had pointed his real self out, that part was true. Yet, his clones were still in tact. There was still a chance to rid him self of a few of hers.

One after another, the clones attempted to punch, kick, scratch, and bombard the ninja. It was all he could do to maintain his hold on the two mud clones that were below him. Unlike shadow clones, the mud clone was more of a puppet. A shadow clone can fight on its own. Mud clones need their conjurers to dictate their next moves. Toshi watched with a grin as the two Kakashi mud clones began to glisten in the sunlight. They were wet, and beginning to melt.  
“NOW!" Toshi ordered her loudest as the army of Toshi mud clones lurched toward the copy ninja at once. Kakashi groaned out loud in frustration as Toshi centered the chakra to her feet once more. Using the sign of the rat, Toshi giggled out loud as Kakashi noticed the gesture.  
“Oh no," he thought out loud as Toshi’s piercing wail sent his nerves into overdrive.  
“RELEASE!” The kunoichi shouted with a laugh as all seven of her mud clones exploded into a downpour of wet mud; saturated with her chakra. Kakashi yelled in alarm as the mud consumed his body completely, slamming him into the ground below.

“I swear on the hokage, that if you’re another log or a clone, I’m gonna kill you!” Toshi grunted, still holding the smile on her face. She panted making a few more hand signs. Kakashi didn’t move. The mud was everywhere. There was no way to wipe it clean before Toshi finished her jutsu.  
“Earth Style," Toshi laughed, “stone confinement technique!” The earth around the shinobi hardened up to his neck. Kakashi shook his head in frustration as the remaining chakra mud splattered off of his face and hair.  
“Before I do this," Toshi stood at her spot with a serious glare. The most serious that he had ever seen her with, “Are you a clone?”  
“No," Kakashi grumbled.  
“Are you a log, or inanimate object?”  
“Just get it over with!”  
“ANSWER THE DAMNED QUESTION KAKASHI!” Toshi roared holding a kunai to his neck, “I’m not going to go through with this again. If you’re just a fake, I’ll leave you alone.”  
“And if I am?” Kakashi sneered under his mask, “Will you still remove my mask to see if I’m a clone or replacement technique?”  
“Yes," Toshi scowled, “but I don’t want to be let down again. I can only take so much.”  
“Just get it over with," Kakashi looked sincere for the first time, “I’ve had enough of this obsession of yours. If you want to see my face so bad, then just pull off my mask. I’ve got nothing to hide anymore, and I trust you enough to know.” Toshi was taken aback by the statement. Kakashi trusted her, and he was willing to allow her to see his face just to end their bickering?  
“Are you sure you’re not a clone," Toshi was still doubtful as Kakashi raised a frustrated eyebrow.  
“I’m tired of fighting," Kakashi sounded truthful trying not to look embarrassed, “besides, we’re friends. Just get it over with already. This mud is making my skin itch.”  
“Fine," Toshi cracked her knuckles placing the kunai back into her side holster. She gave a huff of determination as her fingers laced under the fabric lining the apples of his cheeks. Toshi bit her lip in anticipation starting to peel down the fabric.

His nose; his nose was now visible.  
“Stop being so slow," Kakashi groaned impatiently, “I want to get out of this mud already.”  
“Calm down!” Toshi sneered in annoyance, “This is a big moment for me!” Kakashi returned a roll of the eyes as Toshi finally gave one last yank of the fabric. Her eyes widened in complete surprise as Kakashi stared back toward her.

“Wh—What?!” Toshi shook in a fit as she blinked her eyes, “What are you—“ She didn’t finish. Kakashi’s face from the nose down resembled a being all too familiar to Toshi. His appearance was identical to his ninja-dog Pakkun. Kakashi barked excitedly as he gave a slobbering kiss to Toshi’s face.  
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh," the girl shrieked in a fit of rage as Kakashi laughed out loud in pure amusement, melting down to a wet pile of dirt within the stone prison made for him.

“I’LL KILL YOU!” Toshi forcibly wiped the drool from her face snatching the weapon again. She felt a presence behind her waiting patiently as she spun around, lunging the weapon toward the chest of whoever was behind her. There was no doubt in her mind. It was Kakashi.

Suddenly Toshi skid to a halt allowing her mouth to fall open. Her knees began to quake as her feet vibrated against the earth below her. Her arms felt limp as her heart rate rose. The presence of the dragon left her body instantly. Staring with wide green eyes and a gaped expression, Toshi blinked in confusion. She was dreaming. She had to be dreaming.

“What’s the matter," Kakashi stared back toward her with a smug grin on his unmasked face, “expected something more, something less?” Toshi didn’t answer. All she could do was stare back. She had suspected long ago of what Kakashi’s features looked like. From the way that the village girls carried on about him, she was sure that he would be fairly okay looking. Yet, deep down in her thoughts she didn’t want to admit anything of the sort, especially to him. There was something about his expression at that very moment that had sent her into a state of perplexity. His half cocked smirk set perfectly under a nose that carried a bridge that was the perfect length. His nose was just right, not too big, and not too small. It wasn’t crooked, or hooked. The eyes that had seemed to be detached as an expression of their own lay flawlessly and evenly surrounding his nose. Then Toshi observed his smile. Despite the attitude behind it, and its purpose, it was the kind of smile that could make anyone return the gesture. It was so pure, so kind. Toshi felt like crying. She had fathomed all of these years that Kakashi was one of those guys that when they smiled, they appeared full of themselves. She had always thought of his smile as one to punch off of one’s face. However, this was an entirely different version of what she had expected. She was speechless, and the more he smiled back for an answer, the more limp she was becoming.  
“You crack me up Toshi," there was a bashful demeanor about him as he grinned once more, “I half expected that you would have already guessed what I looked like.” Toshi still didn’t answer back. She didn’t know whether to be more confused toward his appearance, or to be more confused on the way she was acting toward it. Toshi wasn’t one of those girls that went crazy over a guy, and this was Kakashi nonetheless; someone that she couldn’t stand to be with for more than a minute. He was smug. He was rude. He was annoying. Yet now, he was—

She shook her head of the thoughts as Kakashi chuckled in amusement. Toshi swallowed in intimidation watching him laugh. Why oh why did he have to laugh? It was making her nerves twitch even worse than they had already done.  
“I’m tired of the fighting," Kakashi finally explained placing his hands in his pockets, “it was the fact that I hid my face from you that had caused so much arguing between us in the past. I remembered back when we were kids and used to hang out at Dad's shrine. We didn’t talk about my removing my mask or our rivalry during those times, and I only want more of that. Since we were kids, and once I got to really know you, all I ever wanted was to be your friend, not your rival. It’s hard for me to admit such a thing, but it’s true. As you know, I didn’t have many companions as a kid, and you were one of the only ones who truly saw me as an equal. I stand by what I said before, Toshi. I trust you. I trust you more than most ninja that I know from this village. Because deep down, I know that you really know what makes me tick.” Toshi was still silent as she held onto his every phrase, sentence, word, and syllable. Toshi quaked once more as Kakashi chuckled again.  
“I still haven’t heard anything from you," he urged her to speak, “care telling me what you think?“ Toshi swallowed as she bit her lip in searching for the right words. She was about to speak when all at once the bushes rustled behind them.

“Did you do it, yet!” Pakkun emerged from the brush observing the two ninja standing toward one another. They were only a few feet apart. Kakashi spun his view back toward the small dog as he grinned. Pakkun returned the smile.  
“So what did she think?” Pakkun questioned in anticipation.  
“I don’t know," Kakashi gestured ahead of him, “why don’t you ask—her?” Pakkun and Kakashi gave inquiring stares toward the empty space that Toshi had stood in seconds earlier. There wasn’t another word as Kakashi’s once amused grin turned grim.  
“Not at all what you expected out of her, eh?” Pakkun inquired sitting down next to the man. Kakashi returned a disappointed grunt lifting the damaged cloth back onto his mouth and nose.  
“I hope I didn’t do anything stupid," he worried as he sat down next to the monument.  
“What makes you think what you did was dumb?” Pakkun joined him as Kakashi sighed in frustration. He lowered his forehead protector back over his left eye as he shook his head in annoyance.  
“She wanted to take my mask off herself. I could tell when she attempted it before I did it instead," Kakashi explained, “she seemed so different after she saw me. I’ve never seen her that speechless before.”  
Pakkun tried to reason, “She has been waiting for this moment almost her whole life. Maybe it just shocked her.”  
“No," Kakashi shook his head in wary, “I think there was more to it than that.”

*****

Meanwhile on the other end of the village, Toshi arrived home. She slammed her apartment door panting heavily in exhaustion. She leaned up against the doorframe with the same stricken expression on her face that she had given her past rival. Toshi slid down the door as she rested her arms upon her knees. His face had permanently etched itself into her memory.  
“I’m such an Asshole," she scolded herself, “leaving like that! After what he said, I didn’t even answer as much as a thank-you in return.” Toshi felt like crying. He wanted to be her friend. All this time, all he ever wanted was her friendship. Toshi lifted herself up from the floor in disgust toward her behavior slumping to her sleeping quarters.

Plopping herself down on the bedspread she stared out into the evening sky as the sun’s glare caught her attention toward a small photo sitting on her window seal. She lifted herself up from her pillow snatching it reluctantly. She hadn’t really looked at it for the longest time. It was only a month earlier that she had noticed the snapshot when Yasachi, her student, had blackmailed her with it. It was a photograph taken when she was thirteen. The picture was taken by Asuma Sarutobi, and it was originally intended for the three young shinobi mugging for it; Umino Iruka, Mitarashi Anko, and a now rogue ninja, Mizuki. The three friends smiled wildly toward the camera in pure joy. Though the purpose of the caption may have been for the three small children, there was a hidden meaning as to why Toshi kept the photo. Standing in the background next to the yakitori stand were two familiar ninja. They looked to be laughing together at some inside joke.

“No really!” Toshi could vaguely hear the young boy out of the two laugh out loud, “That’s really what they put in the squid!”  
“You’re lying!” She could hear the muffled sounds of the second ninja, a young girl, chuckle in amusement, “They do not use Ink Sticks!”  
“Fine, don't take my word for it!” The young boy bellowed back as he shoved the young girl slightly, “I snuck back there one day and saw it all happen.”  
“You’re insane, Kakashi," the young girl returned the shove, “quit trying to gross me out! You didn’t say a word until I started eating these things.”  
“I’m just protecting you from food poisoning, Toshi!” Kakashi defended with an enormous grin under his mask.

The older Toshi smiled slightly toward the memory, she could picture his full face now, making the ridiculous joke.  
“I said shut up!” The younger Toshi laughed, “Or I’ll shove them down your throat!”  
“Actually," the younger Kakashi laughed as he opened his mouth under the mask, “I was hoping you’d give them to me after I told you that!”  
“Jerk-wad!” The older Toshi could picture her younger self shoving a handful in his face, “Theres your share! Now lower the mask and eat them!”  
“I’m saving them for later," the youthful Kakashi pointed toward one of the meat skewers, now dangling from his spiky hair. The two children exploded in roars of laugher as the older Toshi snapped back to reality.

“This changes nothing," Toshi swallowed hard as she tried to ease herself of the situation, “the only difference is that we’re no longer rivals.” She nuzzled her face into the pillow giving one last stare outward toward the hokage memorial that stood ever so gracefully out her window.

“I’m still gonna argue and bicker with you," Toshi smiled before dozing off, “that’s not something I’m willing to stop.”


End file.
